Generally, a table saw for cutting work pieces has a circular saw table for supporting a circular saw, on one side of which a miter table having a miter gauge for guiding a workpiece to be cut is provided, and on the other side of which a supplementary table for supporting the workpiece to be cut is provided. A fence for determining the cutting width of the workpiece is also provided in the table saw.
However, the common prior art arrangements have several problems. For example, the supplementary table of the conventional table saw is fixed to a working table. Typically, the size of the supplementary table determines the support capacity of the table saw. In other words, if the supplementary table is very large, it can support a large workpiece. This is problematic as the large size of the supplementary table normally requires a large space, which is at a premium in a workshop. Conversely, a smaller supplementary table requires less space, but also reduces the size of the workpiece which can be adequately supported. The lack of reliable support can then cause inaccurate cuts, which may translate into loss of time, materials and/or profit for the user.
Also, while some miter tables can be moved in the front and rear directions as viewed from an operator, these arrangements require special assemblies which extend beyond the envelope of the table saw, making transportation of the table saw difficult and requiring extra space in a workshop. In addition, these miter table saw assemblies can impede the use of the saw for ripping. Other movable miter tables are problematic as they cannot be easily and accurately leveled in order to remain within the same plane of the main saw table. This also causes inaccurate cuts.
Other causes of undesirable inaccurate cuts reside in the accessories used on table saws. For example, most miter gauges have primitive detent systems which rely on two elements coming into contact. However, because of the design and/or construction, these miter gauges have a certain amount of “play.” Accordingly, while a miter gauge may read an angle of 30°, because of the play involved between the elements, the actual angle may be off by several degrees. Again, this discrepancy between the reading and the actual angle causes inaccurate cuts.
Similarly, fences sliding along parallel rails are common in the prior art. However, because of the materials, design and/or construction of the fences and/or rails, the fences do not lock consistently parallel to the blade, requiring carefully adjustment and wasting operator time. Other fences change their positions during the locking operation. This forces the user to adjust and lock the fence multiple times until the fence is properly positioned, again wasting operator time. Otherwise, they would cause inaccurate cuts.
It is an object of this invention to provide a table saw which can overcome these prior art problems.